Mithras Behind The Shadows Lie Madness CD

There are some musical ideologues who believe that every artist who comes along is obligated to be innovative, but such thinking is foolishly unrealistic. The reality is that in any area of music -- be it jazz, country, reggae, or Celtic -- there are going to be more followers (folks who don't pretend to be groundbreaking) than leaders (folks who are groundbreaking), and death metal is no exception. Death metal has a lot more followers than leaders, which isn't the end of the world because artists who aren't strikingly original can still provide meaningful, worthwhile albums. But Behind the Shadows Lie Madness points to the fact that Mithras is among death metal's more identifiable and experimental bands. This British duo (which includes Rayner Coss on vocals and bass and Leon Macey on guitar, drums, and keyboards) plays technical death metal with a prog metal edge; however, this CD isn't melodic death metal in the At the Gates/In Flames/Age of Ruin/Opeth sense. Many of the bands that have been labeled melodic death metal are more extreme vocally than they are musically; they have the stereotypical hell-bent-for-Satan growling vocals, but musically, they don't have the harshness and viciousness that so many death metal bands favor. That, however, isn't where Mithras is coming from, and Behind the Shadows Lie Madness is an album that is as vicious as it is moody. The prog element on this release comes from Mithras' harmonies and Macey's keyboards -- harmonies that are eerie but don't detract from the disc's go-for-the-jugular aesthetic. Behind the Shadows Lie Madness is a bit uneven, but more often than not, Mithras' balance of eeriness and viciousness works well on this 2007 release. ~ Alex Henderson

Mithras: Rayner Coss (vocals, bass guitar); Leon Macey (guitar, drums).

Recording information: Dreaming Studios, England (2006).